Magic
by saki-kun
Summary: Don't dwell on the past and walk forward' is one advice for many, but Iruka just can't move on...without his parents. Christmas now seems different for him. Can someone change his heart? IruAnko! Oneshot! Christmas story special!


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**A/N: **Hi, this is another one-shot for IruAnko. I'd like to give credit to **Takeshi-chan** for giving me an idea to write this. She deserves to get credit and also thanks for beta reading. This will be Iruka's POV. Anyway, **ENJOY! **

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"Ja ne, Iruka-sensei!" A girl from my class waved at me and walked out.

"Have a good weekend!" I smiled, waving at my students.

I sat down and began to correct my students' homework. Not only did I have homework to correct, I have to file papers and make copies. After I finished correcting the homework, I went directly to the copy machine with the single sheet of paper I held in my hand.

I placed the paper transparent glass and closed the lid. I pressed the amount of copies I needed and pushed the start button. Soon I could hear the copy machine commence to copy. It was certainly going to take awhile for the copies to be done, especially since this machine was quite old. I leaned against the gadget with my arms crossed and I couldn't help but look at the window.

It was snowing outside, well, more like sprinkling peacefully. I totally forgot that today is Christmas! Just hearing the word Christmas brings many memories of my past, both painful and blissful.

I remember that I used to hate Christmas as a child. But now, I don't hate Christmas anymore. Thanks to Anko for making me feel special.

Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about. Anko is my girlfriend; she was the one who changed my heart and made me not despise Christmas. How did she do that? Well, I have to start in the beginning, when I first met Anko…

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_I was 12 years old at the time. I was sitting down on a swing outside the Academy School, feeling much lonelier than I already was. I was still mourning over my parents' deaths for the past two months. I was experiencing the pain of losing people important to you. Many people in Konoha were also going through the same process I was since it was nine-tailed fox that caused all these casualties. _

_This year was the first time that I would spend Christmas without my parents. But then again, I decided not to do anything anyway…because I hate Christmas! Christmas isn't Christmas if you don't have anyone to spend it with and this holiday was the most precious celebration in my life. It's the only event where I have the most memories of my parents._

_Swinging slowly and minutes of only hearing the creaking of the swing, I heard footsteps heading towards me. I saw a shadow on the snowy ground and I could feel the presence's eyes gazing at me._

_I looked up and saw a girl who most likely pulled back her black hair into a ponytail and spiked the ends. She was wearing a red sweater that matched the light brown gloves and long black pants with blue shoes. _

"_Hiya there, why are you out here by yourself?" She asked me while a smile on her face._

"_That doesn't concern you…" I said coldly, looking away. _

_Her smile irritated me immensely and it was excruciating to even think that I was once as happy as she looked right now. She must have never mourned over someone at all. I had urges to yell at her and tell her what it felt like to be me at the moment, but that would be pointless. After all, I didn't even know her._

"_Fine then, be that way!" She replied._

_My eyes moved to look at her, hoping for her to leave, but she didn't. She simply stood there, looking down at me. It was like she was waiting for me to say something. I stayed silent, wishing that she would leave me to grieve. _

"_By the way, I'm Mitarashi Anko. What's yours?"_

_I didn't reply._

"_Oy, aren't you going to answer me? It's not very nice of you to not answer my question. I'm trying to be friendly here."_

_I sighed, "Umino Iruka…"_

"_Umino Iruka huh? That's cool! Nice to meet you!" Anko stuck her fabric covered hand out, waiting for me to do the same as well._

_I shook her hand, feeling the warmth from the glove, "Nice to meet you too…" I said shyly._

_Actually, I had never shook hands with a girl before. This was the first time that a girl talked to me. _

_I was still swinging and she remained standing there. We were both silent and we only heard the wind breezing by us and the creaking of the wooden swing. _

_She broke the awkward silence between us with a question. "Soo..." she said slowly before continuing, "aren't you supposed to be at home right now? You know, it is Christmas."_

_Thoughts such as "What's the point going home? It's not like there's anyone would be home waiting for me..." went through my head and I could feel the loneliness already. The mental image of me arriving home without anyone there saddened me._

"_Not really…how about you? Shouldn't you be at home?"_

"_Yeah, now that you mention it, I should be at home. Hey, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? It'll be fun."_

"_What's the point in going? Christmas is to be spent with your family and I don't think your parents would want a stranger like me in your house. Why would you want me to go anyway?"_

"_Well…you said that you weren't going home right now, so I assumed that you had no plans." She placed her index finger on her lips and looked at the tree branches above her._

"_I…" I paused, thinking about what to say next, "yeah…I don't have any plans today, but that's not a reason for you to invite me over."_

"_Aren't you lonely?"_

"_Lonely? What makes you think that I'm lonely?" I tried to put a brave face on, hiding my true feelings._

"_Your eyes say so." She swung her arms behind her back and came close to my face, her black eyes staring directly in my own._

_I stopped swinging with a shocked expression on my face. How can she read me that easily? My eyes…I don't think I'm showing any emotion in them and yet she…she told me straight out that my eyes are telling her that. It was like she was reading my soul secretly._

"_Well, will you come over?"_

"_I don't want any pity. Is that why you're treating me this way?" I bit my lower lip in frustration. Why was she trying so hard to invite me over?_

"_No…why would you think that?"_

"_You just sound like it…"_

"_Iruka-kun, are you a victim of the nine-tailed fox?" she took a step back and crooked her head to the side._

"_Yes, my parents are dead…not that it really concerns you. You must be lucky to still have yours alive."_

"_Who said my parents are alive? I just invited you over to dinner."_

_I looked up at her in surprise, "Your parents are dead as well?"_

_She nodded and smiled. "Yes, they are. I guess we're both going through the same crisis, aren't we? I say that it's better for two in the same situation to get along so they can help one another than one who is left alone to suffer."_

"_How…how…" I clenched my fists, "how can you be so happy? This incident was two months ago and yet you can smile like that! Don't you feel lonely!" I accidentally yelled at her, which I never intended to do._

"_I cried my share already. I just thought that my parents wouldn't want me to mourn. Plus it doesn't do anything for you. Even if you cry and cry for months or years, your parents will never return to you as well as mine. I thought that if I can make myself useful to someone else or at least brighten their day, I would smile as well. Even if I can't, I'll still smile."_

_The tears that I had been holding back streamed down my cheeks and the wind breezed by, which left me feeling a bit chilly. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me and hushed me. _

"_Iruka-kun, would you like to come over for dinner?" she laid her head on top of mine and continued to stroke my head._

_I nodded, unable to speak from the crying. I was also embarrassed for crying in front of her, but she seemed to comfort me…just like my mom did before she left._

_She released her hold on me and grabbed my hand with both of hers. She pulled me, trying to get me to stand up._

"_Let's go then! The sun is going to set soon!"_

_I stood up and allowed her to drag me towards the direction of her house. She talked non-stop about herself and the delicious dinner that she was going to prepare. She also included various things about her past and how she learned to cook. Just then I realized that the feeling of loneliness had left me, as if she was causing it to vanish…just like magic._

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"Christmas has come again," I sighed, "time passes by too fast if I say so myself." I chuckled and turned around, noticing that the copies were all complete.

"Let's just get these tasks out of the way and I can finally enjoy the weekend without any hassles!" I stretched my arms upwards and exhaled.

"**IRUKA!**" a familiar voice shouted from the doorway and I could hear footsteps rushing towards me in an upset manner.

"A-Anko…!" I rapidly turned around, but she was already standing before me, cornering and pushing me against the copy machine with her index finger a few centimeters from my face. I backed up in surprise and my hands were on top of the machine's lid. Well, what would you expect from a special Jounin? She's quick on her feet and did it silently without me noticing.

"Did you or did you not forget about our date?" her black eyes stared solidly at me, as if she was really determined to get an answer out of me.

I gulped, "I was going to make copies and then correct a few o-other papers. Then I-"

"Are your papers more important to you than me?" her eyes seem to sadden a bit, and I couldn't help but apologize. There's nothing else in this world that can make me feel guilty and sad than her eyes.

"I'm sorry Anko! I was making copies and that usually takes awhile so I was staring at the window…and…and…" I felt really hot, embarrassed at what I was going to say. I wondered if I should tell her that I was daydreaming, but that might make me sound somewhat perverted.

"And what Iruka? What happened?"

I sighed and scratched the side of my chin. "I was daydreaming." I guess that I am bound to tell the truth, even when I was little.

"Daydreaming…about what?" she took a few steps back and looked at me in a suspicious manner.

I've seen that look so many times when she suspected me of something. "I was thinking about the first time we met, you know, in a snowy day like today. Christmas is here, so you can't blame me if I think about it."

She smiled, "I was thinking about that as well…while waiting for you outside!"

"Like I said, I'm sorry Anko-**_chan_**…"

"Don't Anko-chan me! Don't you dare think that adding that suffix after my name will make up for it! But Anko-chan is such a cute way of saying my name…"

"I'll make it up to you…I promise."

"In what way? I've heard that several times already…"

I wrapped one arm around her waist to close the gap between us and I cupped her chin with my hand.

"I love you…" I whispered those three words that I was too shy to say before and my lips met hers.

After we parted, I asked, "Will you please forgive me…now?"

She stuck out her tongue and dashed out the room shouting, "I'll be waiting for you outside and don't you forget that!"

Like I said before, you make everything disappear when I'm with you…just like _magic_…

**The end! **

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Hope you like it and please** RR! **Thanks to **Takeshi-Chan** again! Read the Authorness' Note if you don't know what I'm talking about.

**-Saki-kun**


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